With increasing seabound transport of oil and similar products, the requirement for safety measures to avoid contamination in disasters is increasing. It is now required that larger vessels have to be provided with emergency towing facilities, which can be operated on a "dead" ship, when other equipment is not operating.
There are several known ways of storing emergency towing wires. One of these is a winch drum arranged at the ships side with a wire guided though a hawsehole, and ready for extension. The exposed wire end is inappropriate for equipment which is in a state of readiness a long time. Additionally, the braking systems of known winch drums have not been satisfactory. None of the prior art has allowed an easy initial extension and heavy braking at the end of the uncoiling operation.